Something Sinister?
by Outrageous-Oval
Summary: Buffy's got a headache. But what if a headache meant something much worse? And what if Giles can't figure it out in time? EVENTUAL character death: stay tuned to find out who and don't second guess.
1. Chapter 1

**A Note From the Author: *Ahem* We are gathered here today to witness the birth of a FanFiction story. Hopefully it is the first of many, and we wish this one many successes.**

**So, yes, this is my first FanFic. I am pretty rusty with my writing skills at this point in time, but I hope to refine them…eventually.**

**Disclaimer: I own this story. I do not, however, own the characters, the settings, or anything to do with BtVS. So really, I don't own the story, just the shape the story takes. Make sense? No? Well, onto the story.**

A scream filled the night as the girl's partner was killed. But this, _this_, was no human scream. It was the scream of a vampire.

"Buffy!" a man yelled, as he threw a pointy stake to a pretty young woman.

She caught the stake and drove it deep into the heart of the she-vamp, who had started to run at her.

"Thanks Giles," Buffy sighed, "Hopefully there's no more vamps, I'm down to one stake."

"Yes, well, next time we should probably bring more than just the two," Giles offered with a smile.

"Well it's just been so quiet lately, I guess I wasn't thinking straight," Buffy said as she dusted herself off, "All this vampire dust has _got_ to be bad for the ole' lungs."

Giles smiled, before they turned around a mausoleum and came face to face with a large demon. The demon had huge, rather lethal looking horns on its head and was red in colour. The claws coming off its fingers were more like talons, and it looked as if one swing would slice you in two. It grunted as it took a step towards the pair and lifted its arm to swing at them. Giles ducked out of the way as Buffy swiftly kicked it in the gut before it had the chance to do anything. It barely stumbled. The thing grabbed Buffy's arm and threw her back against the wall of the large crypt. Meanwhile, Giles searched for some kind of weapon, frantically turning his head, looking for something, _anything_. Buffy was barely managing to hold off the demon, and soon it had her by the neck, her back against the wall again. Her legs were flailing, trying to connect with the demon, but her struggles were becoming less and less.

"Hey! Hey, over here!" Giles yelled, having yet to locate any form of weapon, "Come and get me, you great, stupid lump!"

The demon barely even turned around. Giles was about to run at it, and do God knows what, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"That's a sure fire way to get yourself killed," Spike said.

Before Giles could say anything, Spike raised his arm and shot the thing with a cross-bow. It dropped Buffy, scratching her on the way down, and turned to face Spike. It roared loudly and charged. Spike pushed Giles out of the way and ducked just in time to miss a swinging punch from the thing. In Spike's haste to push Giles, he had dropped a smallish axe, and, seeing his chance, he snatched it up, took aim and threw it directly into the demons back. It didn't kill the thing, but it hampered it considerably. Spike was able to get it to the floor, face down, where he further drove the axe into its back. Soon, it lay still.

"Buffy?" Giles turned around to see Buffy clutching her head, "Are you ok?"

"Uh, yeah," she mumbled, "Just…have a…a headache."

Bleed was flowing freely from what looked to be a very deep cut, and the headache was most likely from hitting the wall of the mausoleum. Giles helped her up and turned to thank Spike, but he was long gone.

"Come on Buffy, let's get you home," Giles said, keeping one hand on her arm.

**A Note From the Author: Ah, so the first chapter is done-skis. Hip hooray. Hopefully it was an acceptable piece of writing, I look forward to writing the next chapter, because I have a rather concrete direction for this story, whereas usually when I write, I make it up as I go.**

**Review if you want, if not, I don't mind. I will always reply to a review, and if I don't reply, it's because I reviewed one of your stories in return. Of course, I usually reply anyway.**

**Oval and Out**

**.x.x.x.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A Note From the Author: *ominous voice* Second chapter…**

**This chapter will be longer than the previous chapter, because…it just will. **

_//flashback//_

**Disclaimer: I own a very large nothing**

**POV: Giles**

As we were walking back to her house, Buffy stumbled a few times, but I figured she was just concussed. It didn't occur to me that there might be something really wrong. But it did make me think.

_//We sat at the dinner table in Buffy's house. Xander talking animatedly to Willow and Anya, Dawn listening intently, but not adding anything to the conversation. Tara had gotten up to use the bathroom and I was mostly thinking. I looked over to Buffy and saw that her face was paler than usual and there was a dark colouring under her eyes. I figured she was just tired, but later on through the night I saw her cradling her head in her hands. A migraine?//_

That was three weeks ago. I had been noticing some other things in between as well. There was one instance in particular that stuck out as abnormal Buffy behaviour.

_//I was walking to Buffy's house. It was sunny and I needed the fresh air. I reached the door and knocked softly. I waited for a few minutes and no one answered._

_"Buffy?" I called as I knocked a bit louder._

_Yes_

_When no one answered again, I was about to turn away when I noticed the door was actually slightly ajar. I pushed it and stuck my head in the doorway. I couldn't see anyone, but I continued into the house; I knew that it was very unlikely that she would leave her door open. _

_"Buffy?" I called again._

_Still no answer. I walked further into the house, expecting at any moment to come across Buffy, concentrating on something…a book maybe? Perhaps she is asleep. Yes, that must be it. I wander upstairs and peek into her room, but I am met with a messy floor and vacant bed. Well, at this hour, that was pretty unlikely anyway._

_As I convince myself that she must have just accidentally left the door slightly ajar, I see a pair of feet poking out from the couch. I walk quietly over to her and see that she is, in fact, asleep. It doesn't look like she settled down for a sleep though, more like she fell like that. But I know better than to wake a sleeping Slayer._

_As I let myself out, I think again that it is an odd hour to be sleeping, but brush it off with the thought that maybe she was up all night patrolling? Or…something like that?//_

But that was probably nothing. Buffy's house soon came into view and as we were walking up the stairs, she stumbled a bit, but I caught her before she could fall.

"Are you sure you're ok Buffy?" I asked with a serious voice.

"Yes Doctor Giles," Buffy smiled at me, though it seemed somewhat forced.

I paused before replying, "Ok then," but as we walked into the house, I made sure to keep a close eye on her.

She went to sit on the couch and I went into the kitchen. I quickly fixed myself a tea and got Buffy a cool glass of water. I went back to Buffy and sat down next to her. It took me a while to notice that Dawn wasn't there.

"Where is Dawn tonight?" I voiced my thoughts.

"Oh…she's, uh…she's camping with a few friends for two nights," she replied, then, upon seeing my face, added, "Oh, but I asked Willow and Tara to stay close by. Willow had been looking for somewhere to use her new tent anyway. It's a pretty cool tent," she smiled, this one looked more genuine, but I could tell there was some pain behind it.

"Your head?" I asked.

"My head," she replied, lying back on the couch.

"I'll get you some ice," I said, wondering why I didn't think of it before.

"Thanks," she sighed as I sat back down, handing her a bag of ice wrapped in a tea towel.

She pressed it to her head and closed her eyes. I noticed the angry, red gash down her arm when she lifted it. I must have been too lost in thought on the way home to notice.

"How's your arm?" I asked.

"Oh…it feels pretty deep, but I'll live," Buffy replied, looking over the gash.

I went to get some dressings and cleaned it up as best I could. It had already started to heal a bit, so it didn't need stitches, but the area around the wound was turning a bit purple; probably bruising.

"You don't think there was anything in or on its claws?" I asked, just to be sure.

"I don't…I don't _think_ so," she murmured, "I mean, it all happened pretty quickly, and…I can't…remember too much because of my head, but…I don't think so. Anyway, I think I'm gonna go to bed. I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks for your help tonight."

"Anytime," I smiled, even though she couldn't see me because she had closed her eyes again, "Are you sure you're going to be ok?"

"I'm the Slayer Giles, healing is what I do. A bump on the head is easy fixed. My neck is a little stiff, but I'll be fine," she said vaguely.

"Well…ok then," I said warily and closed the door behind me.

As I walked down the pathway, I couldn't help but notice the bad feeling establishing itself in the pit of my stomach.

**A Note From the Author: Ok, ok, this chapter wasn't that much longer, but something big will happen next chapter, I promise. And I'm not necessarily excluding Dawn, Willow and Tara from the story, I just needed to do that at the moment for convenience's sake.**

**So, again, review if you want, I will reply.**

**Oval and Out**

**.x.x.x**


	3. Chapter 3

**A Note From the Author: So, as promised, this chapter will contain more eventful goings on. It probably won't contain the **_**main**_** plotline, but it won't just be full of musings and wonderings. Ok? Ok. Oh and also, in this story, Willow and Tara own their own house.**

**Disclaimer: I own a very large nothing**

**POV: Giles**

I was due to go to Buffy's in an hour to research the demon that had attacked her. I had called Willow and told her, and she said that if nothing had happened by now, it was unlikely that anything really damaging would be in her system. I was growing rather impatient and wished I could just have gone to her house right then. I was worried about her. She had seemed very vague and out of it after the attack two nights ago. The gash had healed badly, leaving an angry red mark. There was definitely something from the demon that was preventing it from healing properly.

Still another 40 minutes of waiting! I paced around my apartment, and when I passed the door for the fifty-seventh time, I threw my hands up in the air, grabbed my book bag and got in my car to drive to Buffy's. I'd just tell her that my clock must have been fast.

As I pulled up outside, I noticed that all of the curtains were closed and there was no apparent movement in the house. Sleeping in again? I walked up the small pathway and knocked on the door. No answer. Opening the door and poking my head in, I called out, "Buffy?"

I walked into the lounge room and saw that she was not asleep on the couch like the other day. I did a lap of the downstairs and figured that she must have been upstairs. Knocking on her bedroom door, I got no answer, so I softly pushed it halfway open and saw her asleep on the bed.

"Buffy?" I whispered, "Buffy, you have to get up."

I realised that whispering would not wake her.

"Buffy?" I said more forcefully, but still did not get a reaction out of her, "Buffy!"

I shook her a bit this time, just softly, because I was starting to get worried. When she remained limp in my hands, I shook her harder, getting more and more worried by the second.

"Buffy!" I yelled, "Dammit! Wake up!"

I leant down, close to her mouth, to check for breathing, and was relieved when I felt her soft breath on my cheek. I pulled out my phone and dialled Willow's number.

"Hello?" came Willow's soft voice.

"Willow, I need you over at Buffy's. That thing that cut her, I think there was poison in it. She won't wake up!" I practically yelled into the phone.

"Ok Giles, I'll be right there," she replied, then hung up.

I threw open the curtains, to let some light into the room, and went back to Buffy's side. I looked at the cut and saw that it was no worse than yesterday, but clearly, more of a risk. I took her hand and squeezed it gently. She did not respond. I didn't think she would.

Waiting for Willow to arrive seemed like the longest time of my life. I felt helpless. Fleeting thoughts were running through my head so fast that I didn't have time to really think about them. I was trying to think of all of the kinds of demons that had poisonous claws, all of the poisons that would be slow working, as it had taken a few days for it to take effect, ways to combat these poisons. Anything. Anything at all that I thought might help. But I couldn't focus for long enough to come up with anything _really_ useful.

I squeezed her hand again…and she squeezed lightly back.

"Buffy?!" I half-shouted.

"G…Giles?" her voice was very soft and strained.

"I'm here luv," I murmured in her ear, "How are you feeling?"

"I…my head…hurts," she whispered hoarsely.

"Your head?" but…wasn't her arm hurt? "Your head hurts?"

She nodded vaguely.

"But…ok. Well, don't worry, you'll be fine luv," I tried to convince us both, as I continued to coo in her ear, "You'll be fine."

"It's…the light…Giles…it…hurts," she squinted heavily in the light and, rather than get up and leave her, I moved into the path and shaded her face.

I looked down at her, and what I saw chilled me to the bone; she looked scared. Not just scared; terrified. I had seen her scared before, sure, but somehow this was different. Perhaps it was because usually when she is scared, she knows what she is scared for, but this time, we knew nothing. As I smiled as reassuringly as I could down at her, her eyes closed and her lolled to the side once more.

I jumped when I heard the front door being opened.

"Giles?" came Willow's voice.

"Up here!" I called down to her.

I heard her hurry up the stairs and deposit several bags onto the floor, Tara in tow.

"She's still breathing, she's just…" I trailed off as Willow and Tara started to unpack potions and books from the ground, "She woke up before, but…" again, I trailed off.

Willow lifted Buffy's arm and inspected the cut closely.

"That's funny," she murmured, "It's…well…it _looks_ like falcuronia."

Tara looked puzzled, but I looked utterly clueless, "Falcuronia?"

"It's…an inflammatory," Willow muttered, almost to herself.

"So…why is she unconscious?" I asked, quite perplexed now.

"I really couldn't tell you," Willow replied, "Well, there's one way to find out whether or not there's anything else mixed in with it."

She picked up a small bottle containing a white power from the floor.

"If it turns orange, then it's just falcuronia, but if it turns any other colour, there's something else," Willow said as she tipped a little bit of the power onto Buffy's arm.

As we all waited, there was complete silence. Even beyond the window, barely anything could be heard.

"It's turning," Willow muttered.

We all leaned in and watched as the colour changed from white to bright orange.

"That's…odd," Willow whispered.

"Maybe it's something that we've not seen before?" suggested Tara, I had almost forgotten she was there.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

I sat with Tara in the lounge room while Willow tried her best to find out what Buffy was poisoned with. She had been up there now for half an hour.

"Maybe we should take her to a hospital," Tara murmured, breaking the silence.

"If it's a magical poison, they'd have no idea and it would just waste time," I said softly back.

She just nodded once.

"So…what took you so long to get here?" I wasn't meaning to be rude when I said it, but Tara looked a little shocked.

"We were camping with Dawn, remember?" she said, a tiny amount of hurt evident in her voice, "We had to go back to our place and pick up some things."

"I'm…I'm sorry," I quickly got in before she could say anything else, "I'm just…worried."

She took my hand in hers and squeezed it gently, "I know how much she means to you."

I nodded, "We have developed a rather close bond. I just hate to see her hurt."

"Giles…I don't just mean how much the Slayer means to her Watcher…I mean how much Buffy means to Giles," Tara murmured.

I opened my mouth to respond, to say that I didn't have feelings for Buffy in _that way_. To say that Tara was wrong. To say that she had no idea what she was talking about. Me have feelings for Buffy? Certainly not! …Right? _Right_? I…oh my gosh…

My train of thoughts was interrupted by Willow coming down the stairs.

"She's awake," she said softly, "I still don't know what it was…what it _is_. But I think I'm getting closer to finding out. She seemed to respond to strong stimulants, but I don't know if that's just because they're…well…stimulants. And when I say respond," she added, seeing my look of joy, "I mean, she's awake…barely. She won't be getting up any time soon. Did she say anything when she woke up before?"

"She didn't really say anything," I said, "Oh, but she did say that it was her head that hurt. I don't know if there's any relevance to that, but it struck me as odd, seeing as it was her arm that was cut."

Willow just nodded, seeming to agree with me, "Anything else?"

I shook my head.

"Ok, well Tara and I will start trying to find out more about the poison, why don't you try and find something out about the demon? That might give us somewhere to start," Willow said.

"Yes…yes that sounds…like a good idea," I said, quite clearly shaken.

Willow put her hand on my shoulder and smiled, "She'll be ok."

I looked into her eyes and saw a fierce determination there; I knew my Buffy would be safe with Willow working on her.

It suddenly dawned on me, that instead of thinking 'my Slayer', I had thought 'my Buffy'. It was at that moment, that everything gained a degree of clarity. The first thing I realised was that I had been harbouring feelings for Buffy for at least a year now. The second thing I realised was that her head hurting might have nothing to do with her arm. And the third thing I noticed may have been the most important; it probably didn't have anything to do with the demon at all; she had been ill with headaches and migraines for the past few weeks.

"Willow," I said softly.

She looked over to me.

"What if it doesn't have anything to do with the demon?" I asked softly.

"What do you mean?" she asked with a puzzled look.

"I mean…what if it's not…magical?" I posed softly.

"I…well…why do you ask?" she asked me.

"Well…for the past few weeks, she's been having bad headaches, possibly migraines, and she told me she hasn't been thinking straight or concentrating well for quite a while now," I said softly, hoping I could be of some help.

Willow's expression changed from puzzled to thinking hard to…fear?

"Giles, has she had any sensitivity to light?" Willow asked, fear definitely evident in her voice now.

I nodded.

"Stiff neck?" she asked.

I remembered back to when I had brought her home from the attack. She had said that she had a stiff neck. I was still not sure where Willow was going with this, but I nodded again. Without warning, Willow ran upstairs. Tara and I followed her quickly, both looking as confused as each other. She burst into Buffy's room and leaned low over her. She seemed to be shining a torch in Buffy's eyes.

"She has dilated pupils," she said, turning to me with a look of utter terror, then she whispered, "Giles."

Suddenly I understood.

"Call an ambulance Giles!" Willow yelled at me.

As I rushed down the stairs, I couldn't stop thinking about how stupid and ignorant I'd been.

**A Note From the Author: So…what is wrong? You will have to wait and see =D Hopefully this chapter meets with the FanFic standards, I am quite enjoying where this is headed. Well...not enjoying, perse, more liking how easy it is flowing. It's about to get a whole lot angsty-er.**

**Review if the mood strikes you, many thankyous to all who do; ye shall receive a lengthy reply. I promise. **

**Oval and Out**

**.x.x.x.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A Note From the Author: Hello and good day. I welcome you to the fourth instalment of my story; I hope you find it enjoyable =)**

**Please excuse any crappy medical knowledge and some OOC-ness, but there is a lot of grief in this fic, so OOC is to be expected.**

**Disclaimer: I own a very large nothing**

**POV: Giles**

As we were waiting for the ambulance to arrive, Buffy stopped breathing. It took everything I had not to yell and throw things and just give up. Instead Willow and I began CPR while Tara stood out the front, waiting for the ambulance. It seemed pointless, but somehow, we found the strength to continue, and when the ambulance officers arrived, they told us that we'd been doing a good job. I didn't really hear any of it. I was pretty numb the whole time. I went with Buffy to the hospital; I sat in the front of the ambulance with the driver. The whole time I could hear them. I could hear them deliver a shock when she went into cardiac arrest. I could hear when they were delivering artificial breaths. Thankfully I could hear when they brought her back.

I knew that, had she been anyone else, she would have died in the back of that ambulance. She would have given up. She wouldn't have been strong enough to continue. But she _didn't_ give up and she _was_ strong.

Willow had stayed at the house with Tara to clean up their potions. I think it was also a little bit so that Willow wouldn't have to deal with it right away. Buffy was her best friend after all. I'm pretty sure they went to pick up Dawn from her camping trip, because when I finally walked into the waiting room, they were all sitting there. Willow, Tara, Dawn, Xander must have been called too, because he was there with Anya. I was still numb. I couldn't hear anything anymore. It was all just dull, white noise. It took me a while to notice Willow whispering my name.

"Giles?" her voice full of fear.

I briefly registered my name and I turned to face her.

"What…what did they say?" she asked hesitantly.

"Um…she…she had a brain aneurism…and…she's…she's in a coma at the moment," I whispered.

I heard a choked sob and looked over to Dawn. Tears were streaming down her face and her eyes were red and puffy.

"Do they know…if…if…" she began. I knew where she was going with it.

"They…um…they said…there's a 30 percent chance she'll wake up," I murmured, "But…being the Slayer…that probably gives her…at least…a 50 percent chance."

The words sounded flimsy to me, and I was the one trying to convince Dawn that her sister would wake up.

"I…" Dawn began.

"Dawn - " Willow began, but was cut off.

"No! I can't! I can't…can't do this!" she yelled, then added in a whisper, "I…I can't. I've lost her too many times. I won't lose her again! I won't!"

"Dawn - " Willow tried again.

But Dawn just shook her head and ran off down the corridor. The numbness was starting to leave now. I looked at Dawn's retreating figure and stood up from my seat. I took one glance at the rest of the group and ran after Dawn.

"Dawn!" I called, as I reached the front doors.

I saw her turn a corner, so I followed her down the road until I caught up to her. I caught her shoulder and tried to spin her around but she just shrieked and threw my hand off.

"Don't!" she screamed.

"Dawn - "

"No! I don't want to hear it! You have no idea what it's like to…to have to go through this…to lose a _sister_ _twice_! No one should have to do that _once_!"

"But I know what it's like to lose Buffy, Dawn. I've lost her three times. And each time it hurts more, because I never know what to expect. This…this hurts the worst. And you know why? Because it's my fault. Because I could have _damn well done something_! Because Iam _so_ _stupid_! So don't you tell me what I have no idea about, because I bloody well do!"

Dawn said nothing, she just kicked me in the shin and ran. Goddamit! I didn't mean to be so harsh on her, it was just…I couldn't believe how stupid I had been. I had seen all of the signs, but I didn't even think. I failed my Slayer. I failed my Buffy. As tears streamed down my face, I knew I would never find Dawn, so I walked slowly back to the hospital.

When I walked back in without Dawn, Willow opened her mouth to ask, but I shook my head.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The doctor walked out into the hall, his expression unreadable.

"Mr Giles?"

I lifted my head, not really seeing him. He motioned for me to follow him and we walked to a vacant room.

"Miss Summers is really a strong person. She had a pretty extensive bleed on the brain that would normally have killed a person, but somehow she held on. We performed the surgery to reduce - "

"Will she live?"

"Um…she…she is doing well at the - "

"Please, just…will she live?"

"Well…I can't tell you a definite, but her chances are looking relatively good. There is about an 80 percent chance that she will live. But…I can't guarantee that she will…be…the same person."

I nodded, "If she had been brought in earlier…would she…would her chances be…"

"If she had been brought in earlier, then, yes, she probably would have had a better chance, but it's a difficult thing to pick, it can just come out of the blue sometimes. But, anyway, she has pretty good chances as it is."

I barely heard the last part; I stopped listening after he said that she would have had a better chance.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

We had all arranged ourselves around her bed when we were allowed in to see her. I had situated myself near the back because my guilt was threatening to swallow me whole. After just sitting there in silence for half an hour, I got up, saying that I was going to the toilet.

I walked out of the room and leaned back against the wall. I sunk to the floor and put my head in my hands. Impending tears lingered, not quite falling, but not going away and I decided to go for a walk around the hospital. It seemed like such a silly thing, but I just couldn't stay near that room. The room where she lay…because of me. My feet carried me to the other end of the hospital, to the Emergency Room. I probably shouldn't have been there, but no one seemed to notice me. I sat in a chair because the room didn't seem to be getting too many patients. A boy fell out of a tree. Another young boy stuck his finger in a power socket. A woman fell down a flight of stairs. A teenage girl with a suicide attempt. As I watched this last girl go in, I couldn't help but notice her long, brown hair. The same colour as Dawn's. I stood up to leave, when I suddenly got a good look at her face. Dawn.

She had jumped off the bridge that ran across the top of a main highway.

"Shit, Dawn," I murmured to myself as I watched them wheel her into surgery. I turned to a nurse, "Excuse me, I know her. Can…can I…where is she…going?"

It took everything I had not to just break down right there and cry until I could not cry anymore.

"She's going into surgery, sir," she said softly, "Are you…her father?"

"I'm…a close family friend. Her…her parents…they're dead…her sister is…here," I whispered.

The nurse looked at me sadly and put her hand on my shoulder. Her eyes. They were just like Buffy's…and Dawn's. I couldn't keep looking at her. I walked off in the direction that they wheeled Dawn, not really paying attention to anything. I was numb again. I could barely feel my feet. I knew I was in shock, but it didn't occur to me to do anything about it. I found a nurse and asked her about Dawn. She showed me to a seat and I sat, waiting. I didn't know quite what I was waiting for, but I waited.

Soon a doctor walked out of the room and saw me in the chair.

"You…knew her?" he asked softly.

I dipped my head slightly.

"I'm very sorry," he whispered.

He put one hand on my shoulder, perhaps to steady me, because suddenly I collapsed back into the chair.

"But…" I began.

"The damage was…too extensive, there was…" he sat in the chair next to me.

"Did she…suffer?" I found myself asking.

"No," he said, but I knew it wasn't true. The look in his eyes told me everything.

I remained silent after that. I stood and started to walk, not knowing where I was going. Soon I quickened my pace and found myself searching. I came across a bathroom and practically ran inside. I threw myself over a toilet bowl and retched loudly. I retched until there was nothing left and I was just dry heaving. I had destroyed two lives now. I was a monster. I stood up and looked into the mirror. I despised what I saw.

**A Note From the Author: OMG! I killed Dawn! Yes, I did! I'm a bit shocked at myself really, I didn't expect me to do it. Now my massive challenge is to write reactions…*sigh* don't blame me if they are terrible.**

**A cyber-hug for all reviewers --- ('.')**

**Oval and Out**

**.x.x.x.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A Note From the Author: Aiight, so I'm not exactly sure how this chapter is going to go down, but hopefully we get there, yes? Ok. I'm thinking this will be a short chapter, cos I don't know how good I am at writing reactions to something as dreadful as this. If you don't like it, please let me know and I will try it again, but if you do like it, then you are my new best friend! **

**Disclaimer: I own a very large nothing**

**POV: Giles**

I could no longer stand in front of that mirror, scrutinizing every aspect of my face. It repulsed me. I left the room quickly.

I walked slowly back to the room where Dawn had been operated on. No one was in there. I suspected they were going to get a gurney to take her down to the morgue. I pushed the door and it swung open. I went in slowly and looked down at her lifeless face. There was blood everywhere. I didn't want to, but I couldn't stop myself; I reached out and brushed a piece of hair out of her face. I rested one hand on her arm and the other, her midsection. Suddenly, sound rushed my ears and I realised what I was doing. I couldn't see this, I really couldn't. As I turned to leave, I heard a voice.

"What are you doing here?" it seemed panicked.

I looked up and saw a man in blue scrubs.

"You shouldn't…shouldn't be in here," I could tell he wasn't sure whether or not to yell at me.

I knew that I shouldn't have gone in there and that I should have apologized for doing so, but I just pushed past him.

Not knowing how I had gotten to the ER in the first place, I did not really know how to get back to Buffy's room. And I couldn't ask someone, because I didn't take notice of the number on Buffy's door. So I wandered. I wandered down the many halls, occasionally looking into rooms. Sometimes the people didn't notice me, but sometimes they did. The people who noticed me usually gave me a sympathetic look, maybe they could tell that I had lost a lot today. Others gave me angry looks and promptly shut the door, perhaps they thought I was being nosy, I could understand that.

Glancing into one of the rooms, I saw someone familiar. But I couldn't match the face to a name. It started with A…or…X…? Or maybe it was both. Alan? Alf? Alex? Yes. Alexander. Xander. I knew him. I wandered into the room, not looking at anyone. How could I? I had ruined their lives. Taken two friends from them. Taken so much. So much.

"Giles?" I heard a soft voice.

I tried to lift my head and look, I really did, but it was too heavy, I just couldn't look at anyone.

"What…what happened?" the voice persisted.

Did I really look _that_ bad? I glanced up and saw a mirror in the corner. My face was sheet white, there were still tears railing down my cheeks (_How had I not noticed that?_), my hands were shaking, much like the rest of me and there was…blood. On my hands. On my arms. On my shirt where my arms had rubbed.

"Giles?" came the voice, scarcely more than a whisper.

"Dawn," I breathed the word, feeling like I should not be allowed to say the word.

"What…what about her?" was it Willow? "Is…is that _her_ blood?"

This made me look up. I saw that it was, in fact, Willow who had been speaking, and that everyone now had their eyes on me.

"Dawn," I said again, "She…she wouldn't listen to me. She just kicked me and ran away. I…I tried, dammit, I _tried_!"

"What are you saying?" asked Xander softly.

"She…jumped," I whispered, surprised that I had not yet broken down into a mess of tears.

I watched, in slow motion it seemed, as Xander's mouth dropped, Tara's eyes widened, Willow burst into tears and Anya looked politely puzzled.

"Jumped? Like…into the air?" she asked quietly.

I looked over at her with an angry look. I was about to yell at her for being so insensitive, when Xander's voice stopped me.

"Anya…Dawn…didn't jump…in the air. She…took her life," he said softly, then his bottom lip started to tremble, "She took her own goddam _life_! What happens when Buffy wakes up?! What do we tell her?!" his voice faltered and when he spoke again, I could hardly hear him, "What…could we possibly say?"

Xander's outburst shocked everyone a little. He dissolved into a fit of tears as soon as he stopped speaking. Anya, who now understood, held him gingerly as tears made their way down her face also. Willow was being comforted by a sobbing Tara. And I? I was standing by the door making a nuisance out of myself. I had brought this on them. I was the reason for all of this suffering.

And two words just kept echoing around my head: my fault.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

It had been three days now, and Buffy had shown signs of improvement, but had not woken up. I had barely left the room, but I never sat close to Buffy. I sat in a seat that backed against the wall. When she woke up, I didn't want the first thing she saw to be me, it would probably just make her cry.

If only I hadn't been so stupid! If I had've just noticed the signs which I knew so well. She wouldn't be in this mess. I berated myself all the time for it. I knew the signs, and yet, I did nothing. My father had had an aneurism when I was a teenager. I had noticed all the signs then too, but had known nothing about what they could mean. And even if I did, I probably would have been so wrapped up in my 'Ripper' persona, that I wouldn't have even done anything anyway. He survived, but every time I saw someone with bad headaches, I always thought of that.

So why hadn't I this time? What was different now?

It took me a while to admit the answer to myself. I was in love with Buffy. That distracted me so much when I was around her, that I barely had time to think about her. That doesn't make much sense, does it? Well right now, I suppose I don't make a whole lot of sense. Let me rephrase. I was so wrapped up in how I felt about her, that I didn't actually pay attention to her. Funny how that works. That I can be so invested in someone, but not even notice when something is wrong. Now I do nothing _but_ pay attention to her. Everything I do, I do it for her. It will now stay that way forever.

I decided something right then. As soon as she woke up, I would tell her how I felt. If she accepted me, I would be so happy. But if she didn't, I would understand. She deserved to know though. I would comfort her to no end; I would hold her when she cried for Dawn, and every time after that. I would look out for her always.

I suddenly had the feeling of being watched. I looked around and saw no one at the door and no one at the window. I looked back at the bed and saw a pair of blue eyes staring back at me.

"Buffy?"

**A Note From the Author: *sigh* Only one more chapter left! Well, I think so anyway. Hopefully this wasn't too crappy; I don't think I made him Giles-y enough…? Erm…no, that doesn't make sense. Uh…so, stick around if you wish, the last chapter will hopefully be a bit of a surprise for you.**

**Oval and Out**

**.x.x.x.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A Note From the Author: Well, this is the last chapter. I hope it's a good finish to a mediocre story…or something to that effect. Anyhow, I am confident that the ending will be a bit of a surprise to quite a few people, even **_**I**_** wasn't expecting it until I thought of it yesterday! So, um, yeah.**

**Disclaimer: I own a very large nothing**

**POV: Giles**

3 months later

Living with Buffy was very different to what I expected. I had moved in with her almost immediately after she was released from hospital. Now, as we sat at the breakfast table, I smiled across at her.

"Would you like some juice Buffy?" I asked, but she just stared at me. I hated when she did that…but at the same time, I loved her even more.

Without hearing a response from her, I poured her a glass.

"You know Buffy, I was reading the newspaper last night and there was an article about how cheap flights to Fiji are at the moment. You always wanted to go there, right?" I didn't expect an answer, but I figured, maybe if I talked to her more, she would stop just staring at me and actually say something, "I love you Buffy. So much more than you will ever know."

A smile seemed to briefly flicker across her face, but it soon disappeared to be replaced with that horrible vacant look that I hated so much. I hated it because it reminded me that it was my fault that she was like this. She hadn't spoken one word since she had woken up 3 months ago. I really didn't expect any brain damage to have set in; I guess it just seemed so unlikely.

"Buffy, I have something for you. I was going to give it to you eventually…I guess," I said as I stood up to retrieve the little box.

Her lifeless eyes didn't follow me, but if someone asked me later, I would tell them that her eyes lit up with a smile. I liked to believe that she responded to me sometimes; I did dote on her a lot. I suppose part of that was the guilt I feel for being responsible for this, but part of it was because I loved her and I always would. Taking care of her then was the only thing in my life now, but it was certainly not as bad as it sounded. I mean, sure, it could be hard sometimes, but I dealt with it, I got through; for her. Everything I did, I did it for her. It will definitely stay that way forever.

As I walked back into the room with the small box in my hands, her eyes lifted and met mine. I smiled. She didn't. I sat down and pushed the box over to her.

"I hope you like it," I said softly, tears springing up in my eyes.

She looked at it somewhat curiously, but didn't touch it.

"Here, let me help you," I said, trying to blink back the tears.

I opened the box and revealed to her a gold ring with three diamonds set into it.

"I was going to ask you to marry me with this," I whispered, unable to contain the tears, they quickly raced down my cheeks, "I knew that as soon as I realised I loved you…I would marry you one day. This ring…was my grandmother's. Maybe you think that that's ridiculous because we never even went on a single date, but…I just knew we'd end up together. Call me old fashioned, but I guess it was love at first sight. Well…for me at least, I hope you feel the same way."

I slipped the ring onto her middle finger, so that she would have it with her always. She looked down at it and I sat back anxiously. Then I almost died from joy; she smiled. Not a full Buffy-smile, but a timid smile that just barely reached her eyes. It wasn't the same as having her back, but it was good enough; it seemed like she would recover.

"Buffy, I swear to you, I will find a way to reverse this. Willow is searching for ways to help every single day. We will not give up on you, I promise," I said and kissed her hand.

I looked up at her again and locked my eyes onto hers. She smiled again and opened her mouth. I leaned forwards, encouraging her to say something, _anything_.

"Buf…Bu…fee?" she murmured.

"Yes, yes that's you!" I smiled, almost laughed, and pointed at her, "You, you're Buffy."

She sluggishly pointed to herself.

"Yes! Yes Buffy!" I laughed, pulling her into another hug.

There was hope for her yet.

**A Note From the Author: And so the story comes to a close. I know that ending was kinda crappy, cos it was a bit unrealistic, I guess, but I couldn't just write 'And she never spoke again and she never ever recovered' it was too sad. So now, you can just decide whether she stays like that or whether she gets better and lives happily ever after with Giles!**

**Let me know how you found the story. Shite? So-so? Good? I won't go higher than that, cos I can't see it being anything more. But thanks for reading, hope to see you at another story =D**

**Oval and Out**

**.x.x.x.**


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